Welcome to the April issue of CODAmagazine, where we share the best design + art projects from all over the world. We’re an online community for artists, design professionals, and industry resources to showcase their work, collaborate with one another, and find the creative resources they need for future projects.

You do not have to be a known art critic or an expert art historian to appreciate art which influences cultures, behaviors, and even justice systems. The effects of such works are often irrevocably connected to our world, and a well-done project communicates an immense amount of emotional information about the subject at hand. In this way, the arts can put things in perspective: One project I really love is Joe O’Connell’s Bends Towards Justice. What is unique about it is not just the combination of the sculpture and NFT components, but also the way in which it is inspired by the past, present, and future of justice. As we considered these thoughts, this month’s theme rose up like a flower during one of our brainstorming sessions: Art for Social Justice.

Art has the potential of directly targeting what is in the minds and hearts of people like you and me. The projects showcased in this issue demonstrate a “....powerful driving force for raising awareness and bringing about societal change, with the goals of acceptance, celebration, and elevating the diverse voices of our world. These art + design projects relate to racial inequity, injustice, human rights, or other themes related to the oppression of a group of people.” Each of these projects, and their talented creators, we appreciate.

Social justice projects can involve input from communities, spread awareness about historic locations, express pride in achievements, and honor tragic losses. Frequently, art provides context for our lives and brings us closer to one another, often helping us empathize with people we don’t know, celebrate or condemn the past, and recognize struggles we may not know much about. People all over are also demanding that more consideration happens in their surroundings, and as we all navigate the world together, there may never be too little room for art with a social message.